Irving police now have a specially trained team to handle people with mental health issues.
Three officers and a mental health professional will work together. They will handle mental health emergencies and also follow up on calls from patrol officers.
Irving, like many departments, is seeing more people only when their issues have escalated to a crisis.
“I believe what we’ve created can be the model for other cities and other police departments to follow in their pursuit to the mental health crisis facing our nation,” said Irving Police Department Chief Jeff Spivey.
The department said many people in mental health crisis have nowhere to go, so it’s also working with an outpatient service provider
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